Arlene, thank you for noticing that beautiful symbol on the setlist. As you said, the Hamsa is a protective sign, & I would only add these things; it is believed to bring its possessor happiness, luck, health, peace, & good fortune (i.e. five blessings). Also, about the 5 fingers of the Hamsa/ hand: Five ("hamesh" in Hebrew) represents the five books of the Torah for Jews. It also symbolizes the fifth letter of the Hebrew alphabet ("heh"), which represents one of God's holy names. Many Jews believe that the five fingers of the hand remind its wearer/owner to use their five senses to praise God.bridger15 wrote:The Hamsa hand is a popular apotropaic talisman for magical protection against the evil eye. The word 'Hamsa' means "5" and refers to the five fingers. The number "5" is a powerful number and represents defense, power and fortune.
The Hamsa hand is a prominent Jewish motif that can be found almost everywhere: charms, door entrances, Jewish jewelry, blessings for home and much more. According to the tradition, the Hamsa hand protects the ones who display it in their homes or wear it around their necks. Many believers place the Hamsa hand in their homes and at their work place to ward off the "evil eye". Hamsa hand is also believed to bless the ones who own it with good fortune and success. Shaped as a hand with five fingers, the Hamsa hand is also known as the hand of Miriam, the sister of Moses and Aaron.
There is a Hamsa Prayer:
Let no sadness come through this gate,
Let no trouble come to these walls,
Let no conflict be in this place,
Let this home be filled with the blessing of joy and peace.
I only know these things because a very wonderful friend gave me a ceramic Hamsa as a gift, along with a write-up on the significance of the symbol. But what now troubles me is, the the hole in my ceramic Hamsa, by which one would hang it on the wall, is on the side opposite the fingers (near where the wrist would be), which causes one to hang it facing downward, instead of upward, like it is in the setlist. When I saw the picture in the setlist, I thought, "That makes alot more sense, for it to face upward". Now I'm wondering if having it face downward might bring "ill fortune", or the opposite of blessings/protection, upon my household, & if I should try to make another hole in it, so I could hang it facing upward (?) Or maybe its okay for it to face either way(?) Does anyone know something about this?
Magdalena: that certainly is a very special setlist - I am very happy that you have received such a wonderful gift!! And how sweet, that Our Man put this beautiful symbol of blessing/protection on the setlist for a Rosh Hoshana concert - I love that!